the other day the boss's 18yo son asked what was so great about minis, one thing I said was that there are cars you can buy new today that my cooper will outperform... he said 'like what' - and scoffed when I said the little hyundais, protons etc. till I explained that they are in the market that minis were in when new

check out this neat Daihatsu



http://cars2.ebay.com.au/_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQitemZ290288516271

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

neither did the mini for nearly a decade? no one would buy them... (guess thats the same for this one too!)

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Here am I sitting in my tin can far above the Moon
Planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do...



“A turbo: exhaust gasses go into the turbocharger and spin it, witchcraft happens and you go faster.” - Jeremy Clarkson

the true cult following can only come from being revolutionary.... they're only filling the market, it's hard to do anything revolutionary on a budget like they have, and I guess lack of anything really left to revolutionise

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

true... it was only when they started winning races, and the celebrities of the time started buying them

there was a mini for everyone - the poor housewife, all the way up to the queen

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

I was a bit disappointed when Daihatsu pulled out of the Australia market.

You could pick up a new Charade for $11k. I presume the newer stuff was as bulletproof as the old Daihatsu stuff?

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Daihatsus are bulletproof because they're just baby Toyotas.
So yes, late cars built to last.

you'd expect so... I guess Toyota (owners) might have wanted the market for the Yaris

they get dumped by the side of the road in Japan - anywhere there's a gap in the railing beside the freeway, it fills up with discarded cars, costs too much to have them taken away

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

So they must be really cheap to buy second hand and import... not being sold new in Australia any more they should be easy to bring in?

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ive seen a couple of those diahatsu's getting around town here and some a Super neat and have a fair bit of engine work done by the sounds of it. but yeah i think the Body styling is Kinda the same as a mini If only they dropped the roof height a bit then it would look much better.

Minis had a cult following right from the beginning. The first mini clubs (i think it was an 850 club) was started in sydeny in either 61 or 62.

Protons are rubbish and constantly have problems. If they were built better they would be a great car, but on the budget they have there is no chance of getting good quality all the time.

I really can't say that there is a modern equal to the mini.

Ryan

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Ryan Filippi
Minis In The Gong
[email protected]
www.minisinthegong.com.au

BMC actually started the Mini club to try and create some following for the car. The club was not formed because of a demand, it was formed to create the demand. It is called marketing.

so it's OK for us to pay out BMW doing the same thing with clubMINI

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

I had to make this hard choice three years ago when my mini was written off.
I had the opertunity to buy a new car as i had driven minis since 1996.
I had criteria i followed as it had to be as close to the mini as possible ..ie enjoyable to drive..good fule acc....etc etc.....
out of all the small cars i tested new and second hand i decided on the suzuki swift.



I moded it up to suit my taste..it was good value for money..and had lots of functions other makes were asking more for at the time.
If i had the extra cash i would have gotten a clio sport....drove one and there so much fun...if you havent driven one go out and give one a go.engine noise is exelent at high revs.

I only wish bmw did to the new mini what fiat did to there fiat 500 abarth...
i like the look of these...and i think there the closest thing to the old style mini
idd buy one if i had the money...
they come standard with a 1.4 99kw turbo.
but there a hot up package witch takes it up to
147kw 230 mn top speed of 211km/h
inside has lots of cool gear with brands like
brembo
bmc
sabelt and magneti
but the sad point is the price....around $40k......so its up there witn the wrx etc.



thats my pick...

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started a new project...there goes all my free time....

where to start?

The Fiesta is a great car i've owned two recently and put 150K on them in 2.5 years as a commute car, alot of it at 130kph on country roads only hit 2.5 roos (one hit the steel wheel no damage bar the hub cap). 5 door one fits four people and I used to carry my clubs in the back (woods on the back seat tho).
I testdrove the xr4 complete let down, get a normal fiesta 95% of the fun.

1)
I think the Suzuki swift sport is the new mini not the BINI, cheap (within reason in the world its not 1959!), practical, fun etc
2)
Fiesta zzziipppy basic model is a bargin.
3)
Polo GTI, really good fun, had a go in one a few months ago felt as quick as my Jetta tubo
4)
Fiat Abarth 500 (pains me to say "Fiat")
5)
Colt VRX Ralliart turbo

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arrrr polo gti...
i drove one too when they came out..
nice car....pritty quick too.
but they were not in my buget back then as it was $10.000 more then the suzuki swift.
theres a guy in aus building a suzuki swift with a turbo kit but i think he has moved onto other things now..
from what i had read he is trying to do what he and others think suzuki should have done when they bourght out the new swift..biger engine etc.
he is fitting a evo 5 engine to it and making it 4wd as well from what ive read.
link here.
http://www.redlinegti.com/forum/viewtop ... =4&t=34719

for me the only down side for the suzuki swift ...standard modle like mine or even the sport ..is lack of power..i just wish they had fitted a bigger engine...2ltr would have been nice...then idd easyly say its up the as the new mini...dont get me wrong...its fun but its missing that litle bit

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started a new project...there goes all my free time....